Summary of Peer Evaluation of Teaching
Instructor: Farhad Malekafzali Class: BA 325: Business Law & Ethics CRN: 16559
Evaluator: Doug Wilson Observation Date: November, 25, 2019
Number of students in room: 44
Number of students enrolled: 60
Pre-Evaluation Information:
- Specific areas of focus for feedback during the current review:
The questions from Farhad:
- Are the materials relevant to business students?
- Are there enough opportunities during class for student participation?
I will seek to assess and provide feedback regarding the use of material relevant to business students that facilitate and create opportunities during class for student participation.
Evaluation:
Successful Elements:
Content Mastery (e.g., Instructor command of subject; Main ideas are clear and specific; Sufficient variety in supporting information; Main ideas are relevant and current; Use of real world and illustrative examples; Rigor of material appropriate for level of course)
Farhad Malekafzali’s class session address multiple areas of consumer, government and business regulation. This included topics such as rights to safety, government enforcement, advertising, the right to inform, the power of the banking industry, the right to redress, tort reform, the right to choose and antitrust laws. He used personal experiences along with real world examples to convey these concepts at a level that fit a 300-level course.
Teaching Methods and Materials (e.g., Overheads/chalkboard content clear & well organized; Visual aids can be easily read; Instructor provided an outline/handouts; Introduction captured attention and outlined lecture; Effective transitions (clear w/summaries); Clear organizational plan; Volume sufficient to be heard; Concluded by summarizing main ideas; Rate of delivery was appropriate; Reviewed by connecting to previous classes; Previewed by connecting to future classes; Confident & enthusiastic; Appropriate course materials)
Farhad applied a lecture and student discussion style format in this class session supported with PowerPoint slides. He applied effective transitions over multiple topics with a clear organizational plan for the class. He was easily heard throughout the classroom and consistently summarized key ideas. Farhad’s pace of delivery was a good fit for the class and he adapted his pace based on class discussion and participation. He also made relevant references to previous classes discussions.
The use of videos in the class was excellent. Elizabeth Warren’s questioning of Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf at the congressional banking committee hearing was an example. Farhad was confident and enthusiastic in this class session and demonstrated his interest, knowledge and passion for the topic throughout. He also used real world situations to illustrate what can be difficult concepts to teach. The Houck v. Enterprise case is an example.
The use of class time was excellent.
Learning Environment (e.g., Instructor engages students with questions at appropriate frequency and at different levels; Sufficient wait time for responses; Students comfortable asking questions; Instructor feedback was informative; Good rapport with students; Student engagement conducive to learning; Respectful and inclusive classroom environment)
Farhad did a good job of engaging with students and facilitating a respectful and inclusive classroom environment. He asked questions at an appropriate frequency and at different levels and this was conducive to learning the content. One example of this was the “somebody has to pay” question he presented to the class. It was clear that students were welcome to ask questions, they appeared comfortable doing so, and Farhad thanked them when they did. There was always sufficient wait time for their responses – it was never rushed. It was apparent that Farhad has a good rapport with students and, again, it is clear he is knowledgeable and passionate about the material.
Some challenging topics, such as the AIDS topic and the opioid discussion, were handled particularly well. One of the most impressive class discussions related to the topic of ethics and the federal government’s regulation of advertising to children. Farhad facilitated this discussion like a master.
Areas to Refine:
Content Mastery
Farhad’s mastery of the material is clear. He speaks with confidence and authority in a respectful manner.
Teaching Methods and Materials
The overall approach and use of materials is effective. One suggestion is that there were a few slides with relatively small font. The pharma industry research slide and the internet and mobile slide at the latter part of the class are two examples of this.
Learning Environment
The learning environment Farhad facilitated was effective. Farhad was able to convey a substantial amount of material in this single class that was well designed.
Overall Comments and Recommendations for Improvement:
Farhad’s hallmark skill is his passion for this content. He effectively conveys that to students in a way that “demands” students to critically think and react in a constructive manner.
Teaching Peer Review Report for Prof. Farhad Malekafzali U of Oregon
Summary of Peer Evaluation of Teaching
Instructor: Farhad Malekafzali Class: BA-325
Evaluator: Observation Date: 2/5/2019
Number of students in room: 42
Number of students enrolled: 60
Evaluation:
Successful Elements:
Content Mastery (e.g., Instructor command of subject; Main ideas are clear and specific; Sufficient variety in supporting information; Main ideas are relevant and current; Use of real world and illustrative examples; Rigor of material appropriate for level of course)
The class focused on the theme, “From CSR to Corporate Citizenship,” and more particularly on the purpose of corporations, historically, definitions of corporate social responsibility arising over time, current debates about corporate social responsibility, and–given these debates and modern social, political, and environmental realities—a need for reconsidering what corporate citizenship means. The primary question addressed during the class was, “How did we get from an early corporate focus on gaining and retaining the public trust to a focus primarily on increasing shareholder returns, and do corporations, as legal persons, have broader responsibilities?”
Farhad Malekafzali has deep understanding of the subject matter. He devoted attention to seeing the subject from several different perspectives, provided strong evidence and examples to support different perspectives, and made the material relevant to students, both in their current lives and as emerging business professionals. The rigor of the material was both challenging and appropriate. As a colleague, I particularly enjoyed Farhad’s expertise in putting these important questions in historical context and in developing a coherent theme, step-by-step, without reducing questions to single or simple answers.
Teaching Methods and Materials (e.g., Overheads/chalkboard content clear & well organized; Visual aids can be easily read; Instructor provided an outline/handouts; Introduction captured attention and outlined lecture; Effective transitions (clear w/summaries); Clear organizational plan; Volume sufficient to be heard; Concluded by summarizing main ideas; Rate of delivery was appropriate; Reviewed by connecting to previous classes; Previewed by connecting to future classes; Confident & enthusiastic; Appropriate course materials)
As specific preparation for the class, students read an article entitled, “Whatever Happened to Corporate Stewardship,” by Wartzman (HBR, 2014), and Dr. Malekafzali wove that article into his presentation. He used PowerPoint slides effectively. He is an excellent lecturer and, perhaps more comfortable with a lecture format than with dialogue, though he often encouraged questions and discussion. One student in particular, a bright female student (and a few others) asked very good questions and comments, and Farhad Malekafzali responded comfortably and sometimes with humor that showed he liked to receive questions and comments from students. In this particular case, though, given the complexity of the topic, the knowledge of the professor, and the fact that the course does focus on content more than process, I found the predominantly lecture style to be appropriate as a way to go into more depth. Students were attentive, and there are many ways for students to be active (such as in active listening) rather than through speaking.
Also, to break up the lecture and Ppt. slide format, Dr. Malekafzali showed an engaging 30-minute video debate between Robert Reich and David Vogel, on their divergent perspectives on CSR, held at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. The debate focused on relations between corporate responsibility and public (government) responsibility to address pressing social, economic, and environmental issues today. Farhad Malekafzali used the video to open questions related to increasing income inequality and concentration of capital in the hands of a few combined with increasing poverty and food insecurity. This led to conclusions (aligned with Reich’s perspective) that, as citizens, corporations should not use their immense wealth to lobby government for policies that might not be in the best interest of all citizens, and that more democracy (1 person/1 vote) may be needed to guide public policy.
In terms of voice and pacing, the presentation was very clear and the pacing very appropriate. At times, Farhad would sit down in a chair, for example, to try to make the class more conversational.
Learning Environment (e.g., Instructor engages students with questions at appropriate frequency and at different levels; Sufficient wait time for responses; Students comfortable asking questions; Instructor feedback was informative; Good rapport with students; Student engagement conducive to learning; Respectful and inclusive classroom environment)
My comments in the above section addressed the questions in this section, also. I would say that Dr. Malekafzali is old school in a good way. He knows a lot and wants his students to understand the deep complexities of important issues.
Areas to Refine:
Content Mastery
I have no comments for improvement here.
Teaching Methods and Materials
Again, I found the lecture format combined with the video presentation beneficial for students as a way to go into more depth on a very important issue for them as citizens and professionals. Farhad Malekafzali also invited students to participate at many times, saying such things as “Ask questions! Do not let me dominate,” and “I want to know what you think.” In answer to one question, he also invited more thinking and participation by saying, “You’re right that both of them agree on that point, but how do they differ?” Perhaps more students did not speak as much because the presentation invited them to question a more conventional understanding of corporations as always already providing social benefit in the form of wealth creation and jobs. As a teacher, though, I think that students need to be moved a bit out of their comfort zones in order to learn.
Perhaps it would help to have students engage in small group discussion for a few moments after hearing the contrasting viewpoints and then report their comments and questions. Perhaps it would help to just keep asking questions after the video such as, “Yes, and what would Vogel say to that?” or “Yes, and what would Reich say to that?” and then ask, “Yes, and what would you say? Why?” Perhaps it would help to stage a student/team debate on this issue, with adequate preparation, in the follow up class.
Learning Environment
The learning environment was great.
To conclude, I want to address the question Dr. Farhad asked me to address:
“I would like to know if I am staying neutral or evenhanded on issues while enhancing the analytical ability of my students.”
I would say yes, Farhad remained very even handed by providing students, throughout the class, with alternative perspectives and evidence for those. He did not treat any perspective as a “straw man.” At the same time, I would say that students probably know he is not entirely neutral. It may also be important on this issues to recognize that a neutral or objective position may not exist, which may be an argument for why democracy needs to exist.
I also think students need to find good ways to express their own understandings when important differences exist. Dr. Malekafzali cares about his students, and invites that kind of respectful, educational, interaction, even though business students, today, may be less prepared to engage with such differences. It will be important for them to learn to do that in order to participate in board room conversations as leaders. He provided a strong, complex foundation for students to think carefully about these issues and strongly enhanced their analytical capabilities.
Overall Comments and Recommendations for Improvement:
Good work. I enjoyed visiting your class. The student who asked the most questions was one of my best students ever, and we need more students like her!
Winter Term, 2017
PS 374 Politics of the Middle East
Dr. Farhad Malekafzali’s course on Middle Eastern politics is designed to provide students with a strong theoretical, historical, and practical understanding of this subject in terms of domestic, regional, and international patterns and currents. His syllabus reflects sound thematic organization, as well as realistic expectations for student reading and comprehension capturing a range of scholarly views and findings. In addition, his course requirements are not for the academic faint of heart. Along with midterm and final exams, Malekafzali has regular quizzes and writing intensive components that include a paper tackling myths about Middle Eastern politics and a 15-page research paper that analyzes an important social scientific puzzle about the subject. In short, his syllabus spells out clear goals and expectations, organizes his subject matter and reading material in a sensible fashion, and establishes a plan of study and evaluation that should be effective for political science majors and other undergraduate students who want to learn about Middle Eastern politics.
I visited Prof. Malekafzali’s class on Wednesday, February 1, 2017, when the focus was on the rise of Israeli independence and the disintegration of Palestine. This was part of a larger, two-week unit on “Post Colonialism: Cold War and Decolonization” that explores U.S. and Soviet interests, U.S.-Iranian relations, Soviet ties to “radical” Arab states, and evolving Arab-Israeli conflicts. The class meets three times a week for 50 minutes, rather than the typical two times per week for 300-level courses.
Malekafzali had a nice set of PowerPoint slides to accompany his lecture and discussion throughout the session. They included useful text clarifying important developments, definitions, and concepts, maps illustrating shifting lines of decolonization and contestation, timelines, and tables capturing helpful statistics on population demographics and military resources of competing groups and states. I found these slides to be quite helpful in framing or amplifying key controversies and takeaways from the lecture.
On the day I visited his class, Malekafzali was a poised, accessible and knowledgeable teacher who spoke lucidly about his subject without notes. The topic itself – the founding and expansion of Israel and the disintegration of Palestine – can be a powder keg both inside and outside the classroom, so I was particularly interested in how Malekafzali would navigate a heated subject. His approach was first to draw on competing views of experts (some of which were assigned to students in the readings for the day and others of which were presented in the lecture). He then focused attention on various forms of evidence on different sides of the question, and finally provided useful statistical and geographic information on the outcomes of the conflict that would be helpful regardless of how one interpreted or understood the origins of today’s Israeli-Palestinian struggle. Throughout this discussion, several students raised their hands with queries or points that Malekafzali cheerfully addressed and examined. Overall, the students seemed focused and engaged in the class session.
My classroom observation on February 1st confirmed the positive impressions I drew from the course syllabus: Malekafzali is a seasoned teacher with strong expertise in Middle Eastern politics. Equally important, for a subject matter that routinely sparks political polarization, Malekafzali provides a judicious and analytically-grounded opportunity for serious students to better understand and think critically about this crucial area of inquiry.
Sincerely yours,
DAN TICHENOR
Daniel J. Tichenor
Philip H. Knight Chair of Social Science
Senior Scholar, Wayne Morse Center
Department of Political Science
University of Oregon
University of Illinois, Center for Teaching Excellence, List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students
PS 304 (US Presidency), Fall 2012
PS 347 (Government and Politics of the Middle East), Fall 2012
PS 300 (Human Rights), Fall 2011
PS 304 (US Presidency), Fall 2011
PS 347 (Government and Politics of the Middle East), Fall 2010
PS 347 (Government and Politics of the Middle East), Fall 2008
PS 304 (US Presidency), Spring 2008
PS 499 (Arab-Israeli Conflict), Spring 2008
PS 499 (Middle East Foreign Policy), Spring, 2007
PS 304 (US Presidency), Fall, 2006
PS 321 (Principles of Public Policy), Spring 2006
PS 304 (US Presidency), Spring 2006
PS 499 (Ethnic Politics), Spring 2005